After
by LittleMoonLover
Summary: What does 'after' mean for a marine turned vigilante who has lost everything. What happens when you are given the chance to have an 'after'–a fresh start? [Kastle][Rated: M]
1. 1

**Welcome!**

So I just finished the first season of the Punisher and it got my creative juices flowing, this will be a multi-chapter fic that will be updated sporadically (hopefully being finished before January 20th) and yes this is a Kastle (Karen Page & Frank Castle) piece, so if that is not your cup of tea then this is definitely not for you. Anyways, I love comments and reviews just please make sure to keep them professional/kind. Also: Each chapter will be titled with a song title that I hope will give you a feel for the chapter (yep it's a little old school so sue me).

* * *

 **Hello**

 _Hello, it's me_  
 _I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet_  
 _To go over everything_  
 _They say that time's supposed to heal ya_  
 _But I ain't done much healing_

David Lieberman followed his wife into the kitchen of his house, dumbfounded yet again by the fact that he was actually home and this was actually happening.

He'd spend the last year in a basement hoping for this very moment, but had doubted that it would ever happen. Then, a very scar man with a lot of very scary guns came and changed everything and-oddly enough-for the better.

"So, where's pete?" Leo asked again as she passed him the plate of steaming green beans so that he could serve himself. His wife and son look at him expectantly and David smiled.

"Pete wanted to come tonight, he uh told me to tell you that." David watched their faces fall a little bit and he sighed, Frank Castle had become a part of his family despite his bloody past (and quite frankly present). "But, I think that he has someone waiting for him."

"Pete has friends?" Zach asked incredulously but after a sharp look from his mother he shrugged sheepishly.

"Yes he does. Lots more than he thinks."

* * *

Karen Page sat at her desk, tapping her pen up and down as she stared at the blinking cursor on her computer screen. The rest of the Bulletin was gone for the day-it was Thanksgiving after all-so hers was the only light on in the building.

Foggy had invited her to Thanksgiving dinner at his house but Karen didn't much feel like spending the night chatting with a bunch of lawyers. Besides, it wasn't like she would be very cheerful anyways.

The past year had been one of the hardest years of her life-and she'd had some pretty bad years. Six months since Matt. Two since Frank. It didn't feel right to be where she was, at the peak of her career as a journalist (something a lot of journalists would never reach). But the path to getting where she was constantly threatened to destroy her.

Karen looked down at the article she was writing, a puff piece on the newly elected Senator Matthews. Matthews had won the election that bumped Senator Ori from his seat-much to Karen's satisfaction. After all of the chaos of the Lewis Walcott attack, Ori had gone on any and every news station to blame Frank Castle for the attack even though Frank had taken a bullet for him.

Karen had called him out publicly and she was grateful that the general public put enough trust in her that they knew she wasn't lying.

With a weary sigh Karen pushed her laptop a crossed the desk and away from her and leaned back in her chair. She was starting to get another tension migraine, something that had become all too common in the past few months. Pinching the bridge of her nose she closed her eyes and let the darkness on the inside of her lids soothe her.

Her cell phone chimed on her desk and she groaned, opening her eyes and looking at the message.

' _Sure u don't wanna come? Turkey delish. :('_

Attached was a photo of Foggy in the ugliest sweater vest that she had ever seen holding up a cooked turkey with the pride that could only be described as fatherly.

Karen's resolve quickly crumbled as the silence seemed to choke her and she unlocked her phone to send a quick ok text.

That is until the sound of soft footsteps caught her attention. Karen told herself that it was probably someone from the office grabbing something that they had forgotten the day before, but something inside her told her that that was not the case.

Slowly she reached down into her bag and pulled the tiny pistol from it's depths, her finger resting on the safety.

"Who's there?" She asked from her seat, her limbs tense and ready to move if need be, for an added measure of movement she kicked off her heels under the desk and planted the balls of her feet firmly on the ground.

"Just me." A familiarly rough voice said from the inky darkness of the office and it took a moment for her brain to catch up with her memory.

" _Frank_?" She asked, surprise filling her voice as he stepped into the light with a sheepish half-smile.

"Hey Karen."

Karen felt dozens of emotions course through her body all at once and eventually anger won out.

"I thought you were dead." She said tightly "I put out the flowers on the windowsill everyday for eight weeks. When those flowers died I got new ones. You didn't come so I figured 'well I guess Frank finally got himself killed.'"

"I'm sorry… I wasn't in any shape to come to you and I didn't want to put you in anymore danger than I already had." Frank still stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Come in, you don't need to hover over there like that."

Frank entered the office and sat down heavily on the old couch that sat against one wall. His features were illuminated by the lamp on Karen's desk and she finally got a good look at him for the first time in two months. His face was free of bruises, she noted with shock, and his jaw had a shadow of stubble growing already-telling her that he was growing out his hair to help conceal his identity.

After a few moments of silence Karen leaned forwards and planted her elbows on the desk "What happened?" She asked with a sigh.

"I'm surprised that Karen Page, New York's favorite investigative journalist, doesn't already know everything." Frank commented with a low chuckle and Karen felt her lips twitch upwards but she kept her face impassive.

"I didn't actively look for you. I didn't want to tip the authorities or media off if I found anything. The less I stirred the pot, the better. It was giving you a better chance to disappear-if you were alive that is. I wasn't even sure if you were alive and I doubted that anyone would ever tell me if you were." Karen opened her desk drawer and withdrew a manilla file folder and opening it, sliding the articles within out one by one.

"Central Park terror: Two held hostage by Anvil Executive Billy Russo."

"NSA Analyst turned whistleblower of military corruption. Operation Cerberus."

She pointed to the last one "Punisher. Vigilante, criminal or terrorist. Where is he now?"

"These." She made a sweeping gesture at the pages that now littered her desk "Are all that I had to go on. I thought about contacting Lieberman, but honestly Frank? I was scared of what I would find-what fears he would possibly confirm." Karen pressed a shaking hand to her mouth as she realized she'd let her emotions get the best of her-again. "So, I ask again. Please tell me what happened."

So Frank told her. Karen could tell he left out several particularly gory parts since, as usual, he was trying to shield her from everything. Then, they sat staring at each other in the dim lamplight.

"Frank, what does that mean-what did Marion James do for you exactly?" Karen finally asked, pushing her hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture.

"It means that she gave me an 'after'. Or rather, she gave Pete Castiglione an after."

"Does that mean I have to call you Pete now?" Karen asked incredulously "Because you don't really look like a Pete." Karen finished, laughing for what felt like the first time in days.

"In public yes. But if it's just the two of us I'd like for you to call me Frank still."

The two of us. The words sat warmly within Karen for reasons she was still afraid to voice. Her mind flew back to that day in the elevator after he'd 'taken her hostage'. She still remembered the smell of burning and the ringing in her ears from the two explosions that had rocked the hotel that day. But she also keenly remembered the feeling of his forehead pressing into hers as his shoulder drew up and down heavily in ragged, desperate breaths. She had wanted to say something-or do something. But how would that sort of thing ever be possible? Why did she always have connections with men who were so deeply tied to others?

"Karen?" Frank's voice cut through her jumbled thoughts, he was now standing in front of her she realized with a jolt.

"Sorry." She apologized sheepishly as she put all of the papers back in their folder and slid the folder back into the drawer. After she had finished she chanced a glance up at him and found his eyes boring into his.

Her throat tightened and she stood and moved around the desk and pulled him into a tight hug, "I'm really glad you're alive." She whispered before pulling away "And if you make me have to say that anymore times after this I'm going to kill you myself."

Frank laughed a quick loud laugh which surprised them both and Karen followed his gaze down to her bare feet. "I was just making sure I could get away from the desk in a hurry." She explained with an embarrassed smile.

"Karen Page always ready for anything."

Karen chuckled and move back around the desk to slip her shoes back on and slide her laptop into her bag. "So, Pete Castiglione. What is your 'after'?" She asked as she slipped her coat on.

"I think, Ms. Page, that it starts with some great coffee and possibly some pancakes. Care to join me?"

"You think that we'd really find a decent dinner that is open after six on Thanksgiving?" Karen asked incredulously.

"I think that we will never know if we don't try." Frank replied and Karen turned off the light of the office and they headed out, their voices fading into the distance.

Once things were completely silence the inky blackness of the office shifted as the office light of one Karen Page was turned back on and a figure dressed in black stepped inside.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Next chapter will be out by Thanksgiving (Nov. 23rd 2017), I look forward to seeing you all then!**

 **As always thank you for reading and I hope you leave a review for me to let me know how I'm doing!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	2. 2

**2**

* * *

 **Pompeii**

 _But if you close your eyes_  
 _Does it almost feel like_  
 _Nothing changed at all?_  
 _And if you close your eyes_  
 _Does it almost feel like_  
 _You've been here before?_

Karen didn't notice that anything was amiss in her office until a few days after Thanksgiving when she opened her desk drawer and emptied its contents. Feeling along the wooden bottom with her fingernail, Karen peeled up the false bottom to grab what lay within and let out a soft, startled gasp.

Two minutes later Karen stood in Mitchell Ellison's office.

"What do you mean those files are gone?" Ellison asked incredulously from his seat behind his desk. "Karen I told you those files were of the utmost importance, who have you told about them or where they were hidden?"

"No one Ellison. I haven't even looked at it in two weeks since we were at a dead end in the story until this morning so I went to add to the file but it was gone." Karen rubbed her hands nervously on her skirt as a thought popped into her mind. She grabbed the pad of paper from Ellison's desk and scribbled on it furiously:

' _What if office bugged?'_

"Did you tell anyone? Maybe Cynthia?" Karen asked loudly, referring to Ellison's wife, before passing the notepad to her boss.

' _It's a possibility.'_ Ellison scrawled and opened his desk drawer, pulling out a tiny device that looked vaguely wand-like.

"Is that a-" Karen began but was cut off by Ellison's next words.

"No it wouldn't have been Cynthia she knows better than to ask about my work." He said as he moved around the office, it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Ten minutes later there were no less than five listening devices sitting on Ellison's desk.

Karen looked at them grimly, panic beginning to fill her. What if those things were in her office? With a sudden jolt of realization Karen grabbed the device out of Ellison's hands and walked as quickly as she could back to her office.

Frank had been in her office only three days ago, Karen kicked herself mentally as she realized the implications of their conversation. Whoever had bugged the Bulletin would have heard her use his name-both Frank and Pete Castiglione. They would know his new identity. Because of her. Had she already ruined Frank's chance for an 'after' because she couldn't keep her nose out of other people's business?

Five minutes later she found the first device. She glared at it accusingly and in the next ten minutes she had combed the entire office-thankfully not finding anymore.

Ellison had joined her in the office, a frown on his face as he saw the device on her desk.

"What do we do?" Karen asked Ellison aloud, her voice full of panic "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

* * *

David Lieberman was just sitting down to breakfast with his wife when the sound of frantic knocks on the door filled the house. David exchanged a wary look with Sarah who shrugged and gestured for him to answer it.

Out of all of the people that could have been at the door, David was not expecting to see Karen Page standing on his front porch.

David opened the door and Karen turned to look at him, at first glance she was a pretty woman but looking closer he could see that her hair was mussed and there was panic behind her blue eyes.

"Hi David, you don't know me but my name is Karen Page-we have a friend in common."

"I am aware of that, but why are you standing on my front porch at nine o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday? Is something wrong with Pete?"

"No, nothing is wrong." Karen said gripping the metal case that she carried a little tighter. "Yet. But I think I need your help."

Ten minutes later they sat in the Lieberman household's basement. One half was full of boxes and the other had a complete computer set-up.

"I sometimes need to come down here when things get to be too much upstairs, it's not easy going from talking to no one but Pete and myself to having three people constantly needing your attention." David explained sheepishly, "Not that I'd trade being with my family for anything."

"I understand." Karen smiled and sat gingerly on one of the desk chairs that was near the desk.

"So what do you need?" David asked, looking pointedly at the case.

"Well… I want to know who bugged my office and I think that you are just the guy to do it."

"Someone bugged your office?" David asked with surprise before looking at the case "Don't tell me you brought it here…?"

Karen looked down at the case and nodded "I wrapped it in enough bubble wrap to muffle anything that we say and put the rest back, and some files with some very sensitive information were stolen from a secret compartment in my desk-more than likely someone is looking to see what I know."

"Ms. Page-"

"Call me Karen."

"Karen… what exactly have you gotten yourself into?" David asked, still eyeing the case nervously.

"Nothing that I can't handle, the problem is that I've accidentally involved Pete. He came to my office on Thanksgiving and we had a conversation about things that are best kept between us."

David was finally beginning to understand the gravity of what Karen was saying. His eyebrow began to twitch as stress filled his body and he absentmindedly rubbed at it. "Is Pete in danger?"

"I don't know." Karen said as her shoulders slumped forwards and she put her face in her hands.

"Okay, well why don't you head upstairs-you look like you could use a cup of coffee. Sarah will hook you up, I'll come up when I'm finished." David patted her shoulder awkwardly.

"Thank you David." Karen slid the case towards him and hurried up the stairs, anxious to be in the sunlight again.

* * *

It took two hours for David to figure out where the bug was transmitting to and even then he couldn't get an exact location without alerting the owner of the bug that he was snooping. By the time that he had finished his back ached and his eyed burned from concentrating so much.

Finishing up his notes he placed the bug in a metal boxed that was outfitted with electronic jammers. He wished he could smash it but he wanted to keep as much suspicion off of Karen and himself until they figured out just who was behind this.

Climbing the stairs to the kitchen he found Sarah and Karen chatting at the table, the frown that had covered the reporter's face was gone now as she laughed at one of Sarah's stories. David was once again struck by how grateful he was to be married to her and he placed a kiss onto her forehead as he passed his notes to Karen.

"Thank you for this David." Karen said as she slid her notes into her bag and stood up. "I'll let you know what happens."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" Sarah asked as they walked to the front door together.

"I'd love to but I need to take care of this first. Here is my cell number in case you ever want to chat." Karen handed the other woman a card and David could see that they'd become fast friends in the last two hours.

David opened the door and looked at Karen, "You should tell Pete whats going on."

"I will, don't worry." Karen said as she stepped over the threshold "But I want to keep him out of it for as long as possible, knowing him he'd charge in without a second thought."

David nodded, that did sound a lot like Frank Castle. "Alright well take care and keep me updated."

Karen waved as she got into her car and drove off.

"That is the kind of woman who is always getting into trouble." Sarah said, resting her chin on her husband's shoulder as they watched Karen drive off.

"So, you're gonna call Pete right?" She asked as he closed the door.

"You bet I am."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This chapter was stopped & restarted three times, but I finally managed to get a version I was happy with. Sorry for the delay. Already drafting chapter three. Hoping that this will be a 10-12 chapter fic (might be more depending on how the story evolves). Next chapter will hopefully be out by Friday, December 1st.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think!**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read this, thanks for also subscribing & reviewing! **

**-LittleMoonLover-**


	3. 3

**Ghost**

 _I keep going to the river to pray_  
 _'Cause I need something that can wash out the pain_  
 _And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away_  
 _But your ghost, the ghost of you_  
 _It keeps me awake_

Karen parked two blocks away from the compound of abandoned warehouses. The street was relatively busy as it was at the entrance of a streetside market where what looked like hundreds of stalls had been set up in front of shops. It would work for Karen's purposes.

She'd stopped at her apartment on the way over and had traded her work clothes and heels for a pair of jeans and a blue and white plaid shirt, pulling on a pair of sneakers just in case. She wasn't planning on running anywhere-but her motto was very quickly becoming 'better safe than sorry'.

Stepping out of her car she gripped her bag close and resisted the urge to call Frank to come and help her. She'd dragged him far enough into this mess as it was.

As she moved down the street, turning and twisting to avoid oncoming pedestrians, Karen thought about how she'd managed to yet again get herself knee deep in yet another mess.

* * *

 _Four Weeks Earlier…_

Karen knocked on Ellison's door and entered before he could answer, "Hey boss I've got something you might be interested in." She held out a manila file folder to him.

"Yes Karen, come in." Ellison said sarcastically as he took the folder, "Close the door."

Karen shut it as he leafed through the folder, his eyebrows raising higher and higher as he flipped through the pages.

"Drugs, Karen?"

"Yes. But not from the Mexican cartels-at least not all of it. I've been hearing about a new drug on the streets called Impish Delight, it's a synthetic powdered mixture of cocaine and LSD and it's caused over fifteen deaths in the last two months alone. I had just started to look into it before the David Lieberman story but I had to put it on hold because I'd reached a dead end."

"Okay, and I assume because you are standing in front of me because you've found something?"

"Yes," Karen stepped forwards and flipped through the file and pulled out crime scene photos "I have a source in the NYPD who slipped me these. This is Paul Cartwright, 21. He was a university student who used the drug and spent two weeks in the hospital before dying."

Karen flipped through the pages and found a disc and pushed it into Ellison's laptop, "Most of the victims of ID are in comas until, eventually, their brain activity ceases. But Cartwright was lucid for the last two days of his life-coming out of his coma and giving the doctors hope of his recovery. The police were able to interview him, though he wasn't making much sense."

Ellison clicked the file and pressed play, the scene on the screen was one of a hospital room. A gaunt looking young man lay in the hospital bed, connected to what seemed to be hundreds of tubes.

"Will he respond?" the deep baritone of the one of the police officers asked the nurse who was checking the young man's vitals.

"Yes, he is fully lucid and breathing on his own now."

"Thank you we'll call you if we need you." The police officer said and the nurse smiled and left the room.

"Hi can you tell me your name?" The police officer asked, gently shaking the young man awake.

"Mmm, Paul Cartwright." Paul responded in a gravelly voice, his eyes opening to reveal two blue eyes that were extremely bloodshot.

"Can you tell us the name of the drug that you took?" Another police officer, a woman, asked.

"I'm not sure… Stacy gave it to me and said it was called Impish something." As Paul became more alert it was apparent that we had in a quite a bit of pain and every word was followed by a wince.

"Where did Stacy get the drugs?" The woman police officer asked and Paul replied that he wasn't sure, as she asked more questions Paul began to fade again and become less responsive to their questions. Soon he began to mumble something and the female officer stepped closer, "Paul can you say that a little louder for us please?"

" _When, lo! as they reached the mountain-side,_

 _A wondrous portal opened wide,_

 _As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed;_

 _And the Piper advanced and the children followed,_

 _And when all were in to the very last,_

 _The door in the mountain-side shut fast."_

Paul slurred, a silly smile on his face which quickly slid away as his body began to buck upwards in the hospital bed. The monitors on either side of him began to beep wildly.

"Paul?" One of the police officers asked as nurses ran into the room and surrounded the young man and the video cut to black-apparently over.

Ellison and Karen sat in silence for a moment before Ellison straightened and asked; "Did he slip back into a coma after this?"

Karen shook her head "He was somewhat lucid for the rest of the day but maintained that he didn't remember what he'd said. That night someone snuck into his room and suffocated him with a pillow."

"So Cartwright said something that gave too much away and it got him killed." Ellison said, leaning back in his chair and wondering what his junior journalist had stumbled upon. "And Cartwright's friend-Stacy?"

Karen flipped through the file and pulled out yet another crime scene report. "Stacy Fillmore was hit by a train two days before Cartwright woke up. Cameras show a hooded figure nudging her off the platform."

"Hmm, thoughts on this?" Ellison asked.

"Well, I don't think Impish Delight comes from the Mexican cartels in New York-this kind of synthetic drug is too hard to make without quite a bit of money. Cartwright's interview also makes me think that these drugs are coming from somewhere else entirely." Karen pulled the laptop into her direction and typed into the search bar before turning the computer back around to show Ellison.

"The Pied Piper?" Ellison asked as he read the nursery rhyme.

"Yes. That's what Paul was reciting in the hospital-it's-it's a german nursery rhyme about a musician who could control rats and take them out of villages if the villagers promised to pay a fee. But one day the villagers renege on their promised sum and the Pied Piper became angry and instead of enchanted the rats he enchanted the children of the village and led them away and into the belly of the mountain-never to return." Karen explained, feeling her arms tingle with goosebumps as she told the story.

"Wow, thats creepy. So how does the Pied Piper tie into all of this?"

"I'm still trying to figure that all out-I think the person who is bringing the drugs into the city is using it as their alias-to spread fear in the people who are pushing his or her drugs. I think that Stacy Fillmore was their connection to NYU and that she was afraid since she was responsible for her friend's overdose. She knew something that could incriminate the Pied Piper and was killed for it… thats all I have for now but I thought that I should show you this before I really begin doing the footwork for this article."

Karen began to put away all of her papers and turned to leave but Ellison stopped her, "Karen."

Karen stopped and turned with a sheepish smile which met Ellison's deep frown and faded, "I don't like this. It sounds like you are stepping into a nest of vipers and I don't usually urge my reporters to do that-besides you don't have backup anymore like you used to." Ellison watched her flinch and get a faraway look in her eyes as she thought about a man who everyone presumed to be dead-again.

"Ellison I'll be careful, I won't go anywhere and do anything that could put myself in danger." Karen looked at him innocently and Ellison resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that blatant lie.

"I will let you do this on two conditions, one: you will come and update me every step of the way-and only me-this cannot get out to anyone else since it's too much of a risk."

Karen nodded, "Done and done."

"... and two: when it comes time to publish this you won't be putting your name on it."

Karen opened her mouth to protests and Ellison held up a hand to stop her before she could start, "I'm not budging on this Karen. It's safer for you to stay behind the name of the paper-I don't want you getting hurt."

Karen sighed after a moment and shrugged "Fine. Is that all? Can I go?"

* * *

Four weeks later Karen had wished that Ellison had flat out told her 'no' to writing this article. Not that she'd have listened to him anyways.

Karen had finally made it to the compound and it was surrounded by a chain link fence, skirting around the perimeter Karen found a spot that was near one of the warehouses that would afford her a certain level of coverage from prying eyes. With a sigh she pulled her bag a crossed her body where it would be secure and placed one foot in the the fence and heaved herself over, landing as lightly on the other side as she knew how.

Pressing her back into the wall of the building she slid against the wall and peered around the corner, luckily the coast was clear and she was able to enter the made of warehouses. There must have been over a hundred of the large buildings-though most of them were worn down and empty.

Karen kept her hand on the gun in her bag and looked at the number of the nearest building and clucking with dismay when she realized just how far away the warehouse she was looking for was.

The light was fading quickly-which would afford Karen some coverage-but she needed to find the warehouse first before she wouldn't be able to read the numbers any longer.

It took her an extra fifteen minutes but she'd finally found it-it looked like the rest of the buildings-derelict with broken windows. But the presence of a shiny padlock on the roll up warehouse doors told Karen that someone had been there and recently.

As she debated whether or not to sit back and watch or investigate the warehouse more closely while the coast was clear, she failed to notice the silent shadow that had fallen over her. She barely had a moment to recognize the threat when a hand clamped over her arm.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I finally finished this chapter! I started it and then my finals kicked in, luckily I'm all finished**

 **with those for a month so be prepared for more updates throughout this month and the rest of January!**

 **So keep an eye out for the next chapter and let me know what you think!**

 **As always thank you for reading and I hope you leave me a review!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	4. 4

**"Scars" - James Bay**

 _You're setting off,_  
 _It's time to go, the engine's running_  
 _My mind is lost,_  
 _We always knew this day was coming_  
 _And now it's more frightening than it's ever gonna be_

"Yeah David, I'll keep you updated." Frank said and pressed the end call button on his found, gripping it so he wouldn't throw it against the wall of the building he'd been working in that day. His hands shook as he grabbed his lunchbox and headed for the exit of the site.

"Yo! Castiglione! Where you headed?" His foreman called from his place overseeing some beams that were being lifted to the top of the building. Frank held up a hand, but didn't stop.

Once he'd made it out ot his van he breathed in and out to try and calm himself but his mind kept conjuring up images of all of the things that Karen could have gotten herself into and how many ways that she could get hurt by trying to fix it on her own.

"Stupid." Frank muttered to himself as he dialed her cell phone… which went directly to voicemail. Of course Karen had turned it off.

Frank knew where those old warehouses that David had described were and he also knew that nothing good happened in them. Putting the van into drive, he peeled out of the spot and onto the street, driving as fast as he could without drawing suspicion and letting his heart hammer in his chest as his mind made up new ways that Karen could get hurt by the minute.

He got to the warehouse district in record time and quickly found Karen's car, an old blue Camry, and parked behind it. She had parked next to an outdoor market which looked to be starting to wind down as the sun set, it was, Frank had to admit, smart to park somewhere where there would be high levels of foot traffic. Someone could disappear easily inside of it's depths.

Pulling his black baseball cap low over his eyes Frank climbed into the back of the van and peeled the carpet up to reveal a plethora of firearms. Picking the most easily concealed weapons he pulled on his bullet proof vest and zipped up his black jacket over that. He hoped that he'd find Karen _before_ she got into any firefights-but Frank preferred to be prepared just in case.

Stepping out of the van he slammed the doors shut and moved around to the front of Karen's car, putting a hand on the hood and testing it's warmth-it seemed like Karen had gotten there maybe thirty minutes before he did which told him he wasn't that far behind her.

As he walked he practiced how he'd scold her once he found her-and questioned why she hadn't come to him for help even though she very clearly needed it.

The warehouse compound was completely deserted and silent. Grasping the top of the fence Frank hurled himself over the top of it and landed silently on the other side. His senses heightened as he listened for the presence of anyone aside from himself and the distant honking of cars a few streets over.

Moving quickly from building to building Frank scanned the numbers until he'd found the one he was looking for… and the blond who was trying to be inconspicuous peering around the edge of one of the buildings. Inwardly groaning Frank made his silent approach and reached out to grab her arm.

Karen whirled around, gun sliding out of her bag and mouth opening to scream. Frank slapped his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and released her arm to grab the hand that was whirling the gun in his direction.

"Karen, shh it's just me." He said and at the sound of his voice she sagged against him in relief, forcing him to hold her up.

Letting go of her face her breath came out in rasps, and her face which had drained over color was quickly becoming red and splotchy with anger "Jesus Frank you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?" She pushed away from him and leaned against the wall.

"Well…" Frank began and she cut him off.

"David I take it? Good to know he can't keep a secret, then again he was a whistleblower so I don't know what I expected." Karen ran a hand through her hair as she seemed to be trying to get a handle on her temper.

"Well you very clearly needed help." Frank felt his temper begin to rise as he replied to her in a harsh whisper.

Karen crossed her arms glared at him, "I was trying to figure this out on my own Frank. I can't always drag you into my messes."

"From what i've heard you've already done that."

"Not on purpose. I didn't even know that my office was bugged. Besides-whats wrong with a text message? You know a 'hey I'm not dead and oh yeah can we meet somewhere where I don't suddenly appear from the shadows like some fricken vampire?' We could have met somewhere else."

Frank could tell that her guilt was beginning to overpower her anger and he wanted to try and comfort her but the sound of an approaching truck brought him back to the fact that they were standing in an abandoned warehouse compound waiting for some potentially dangerous people.

Scanning the side of the building Frank saw a broken in window and he dragged Karen a crossed the side of the building and practically threw her into the window, following closely behind as a large cargo truck barrelled by.

Putting a finger to his lips he crouched low and made his way back over to the front of the building. It was obvious that this was the old warehouse leading office-there were overturned desks and chairs littered everywhere and all were covered with a thick film of dust.

Peering over the window sill the scene before Frank was one that instantly didn't sit well with him. A group of armed men were exiting the truck and the door to the warehouse was rolling open.

They were speaking in a language that Frank quickly realized was german.

Karen seemed to realize it too from her place next to him, he could practically hear her heart thudding in her chest as she watched them jump onto the truck and begin unloading crates.

Karen reached into her bag and pulled out her cellphone and began to snap pictures and Frank gave her an exasperated look-this wasn't the most ideal time for her to be in journalist mode.

Frank's german was fledgling at best but even he could make out a few phrases-they were talking about when their superior would get there and that they had to get all of the product into the warehouse before he got there.

Unfortunately they didn't make it in time, five minutes later a sleek dark blue mercedes glided up to the truck and a well dressed man stepped out of the truck and began to talk to the men in rapid german.

He clearly made them very nervous and as soon as he'd finished they picked up the pace and began hauling the boxes double time. Karen continued to snap pictures, her eyes staying on the scene unfolding before them.

After a few moments Karen turned to Frank, "I think that's all I need. I think I know who that man is." She whispered and began to step backwards, still in a crouch. But as she did her back nudged a nearby chair, sending it crashing to the floor.

The noise echoed throughout the compound and Frank and Karen looked at each other before Frank grabbed her hand and pushed her in front of him.

"Run." He said and they did. The sound of voices followed them as they moved to the back of the building. Karen vaulted over a window sill, whimpering as her hand caught on some stray glass.

Frank's heart thudded in his chest as she held her hand to her chest. "You keep going, get back to the street market and disappear." Frank said as they made it to the chain link fence.

"No I'm not leaving you." Karen said as the sound of voices drew closer.

"I'll be right behind you Karen. Now go." He clasped his hands together and held them low so she could reluctantly put her foot in them. Boosting her up and over the top of the fence. Karen, once on the other side gripped the fence and pressed her face into it.

"Be careful please." Karen looked like she wanted to say no but the proximity of the voices forced her to turn and break into a run, her blond hair whipping out behind her.

Frank watched her turn the corner before turning and rolling his head from side to side-readying for the fight to come.

* * *

Author's Note:

Two chapters? In one night? Blaspheme!

I wanted to make up for my lack of updates and this was the only way I knew how.

So enjoy!

-LittleMoonLover-


	5. 5

**"Enter Sandmand" - Metallica**

Hush little baby, don't say a word  
And never mind that noise you heard  
It's just the beasts under your bed  
In your closet, in your head

Karen slid into the marketplace and ducked behind and empty stall in order to catch her breath. Her heart thudded furiously in her chest as she peered around the stall to see if she had been followed.

The throbbing in her hand made her look down at the nasty cut that was oozing blood. She hoped that it was worse than it looked-but she'd need to clean herself off if she wanted to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

Ducking into the nearest shop, a video rental store, she walked up to the counter where a pimply-faced teenager was sitting on a stool and scrolling through his phone.

"Hi, do you happen to have a bathroom?" She asked and the employee in the most normal voice she could muster.

The employee didn't even look up at her, "It's in the back hall. Take the key." He shoved the key that was attached to a tag that said 'restroom' on it towards her and Karen gratefully snatched it up and hurried into the back hallway.

The bathroom was tiny and dimly lit, but it was relatively clean which Karen was grateful for. Holding her hand under the water she washed the majority of the dirt out of the cut and balled up a wad of paper towels in her fist and squeezed. Looking at herself in the mirror she realized that the shirt would have to go and stripped it off, leaving only her black tank top on.

"It'll be ok Karen. You're going to get through this." She muttered to herself in the mirror and reached into the bag and touched the gun, comforted by it's presence. Pulling out her cell phone she checked the time-she'd been in the restroom for almost five minutes and she needed to get a move on.

She opened the door and was greeted to the sound of thick german accents asking the teenage employee if he had seen her. Karen slammed the door shut and locked it, her heart hammering with panic as she looked around the bathroom for an escape route because she certainly wasn't going to leave the way that she came.

Her eyes landed on the impossibly tiny window above the toilet. There was no way she'd be able to fit-right? Karen stepped onto the tank of the toilet and slide the window open, peering out.

The coast was clear and Karen dropped the bloody paper towel and threw her bag out the window and tried not to wince at the resounding thud. Gripping either side of the window sill, she boosted herself up, ignoring the sharp pain in her hand.

"Okay. Okay." She said breathlessly as she wiggled her way through the window. When her hips caught on the window she forced them through, no doubt bruising them in the process. Finally she slid the rest of the way through the window and fell through the air, landing on the dumpster below getting the breath knocked from her lungs.

She lay there for a moment, stunned and gasping until her mind screamed at her; Get up Karen. Get up they won't be far behind you. Rolling onto her knees, Karen grabbed her bag and got to her feet and slid off of the dumpster, nearly falling again.

The sound of the men breaking into the bathroom spurred her into a run and soon she was almost back to the main part of the market-but of course there was another fence in her way.

Without even thinking about it and ignoring the pain in her body Karen grabbed the chain links and heaved herself over the top of the fence and tried to land as gracefully as she was able to.

Making her way through the quickly dwindling crowd Karen kept her head up and her eyes on the entrance to the market in the distance. She was almost halfway there when a hand grabbed her arm and dragged her into an alley between two buildings.

Karen blindly scratched at her attacker, her breath coming out in ragged gasps as she tried to relax her throat enough to scream.

"Karen. Hey, hey. It's just me." Frank said as he did his best to hold her hands so she wouldn't maul him.

"Frank?" Karen rasped and pulled him into a hug "I'm sorry I thought you were…"

"I know." Frank moved her chin left and right looking at the bruises that were quickly starting to flower on her face "Jesus what happened?"

"It's a long story…" Karen replied "Besides you look a little worse for wear than I do." She gestured to the cuts on his face and neck.

"One of them was pretty handy with a switchblade." Frank shrugged and immediately winced.

"And your shoulder?" Karen nodded to his left shoulder which hung limply at his side.

"Dislocated? Yep. But we don't have time to worry about that, we need to get out of here and back to the van."

"There's a second group somewhere in the marketplace and we don't exactly fit in." Karen informed him as she peered out at market place, which was nearly empty now that darkness had completely fallen.

"I think that there might be another way to get onto the street." Frank said, grabbing her hand.

"And let me guess does this way involve yet another fence?" She asked as she reluctantly allowed herself be tugged along.

"Don't most backways?" Frank said over his shoulder and Karen could hear the laughter in his voice. She didn't even know if he could make it over a fence with his shoulder, but luckily when they came to the fence Frank managed to pry up one corner of the fence and peel it upwards.

"Well hallelujah." She muttered and crawled underneath and held it so that Frank could follow.

The van was now in sight and as they made the last final run, Karen could see the Germans in the marketplace.

Don't look. Keep moving. Don't look. Keep moving. She chanted in her mind as they tried to walk as nonchalantly as they could to the van.

"Hey!" One of the men shouted and Karen's walk became a run with Frank following closely on her heels.

"Get in the van!" Frank barked as he hurried to the door and opened it for her and jogged to the other side.

Sliding into the van and slamming the door, Karen watched as the men ran towards the van and for a moment thought that they would catch them. But the sound of the engine starting made her sink back into the seat with a sigh of relief as they peeled out into the street and away from danger.

* * *

David groggily stumbled out of his office, he'd fallen asleep at his desk and had been awoken by the sound of the doorbell ringing. One quick look at the clock told him it was just past 9pm.

Sarah was making her way to the door as he exited the office, "Are you expecting anyone?"

David shrugged "Am I ever?"

Moving to the door David peered through the peephole and groaned, pulling aside all of the locks he threw the door open and glowered at the pair standing sheepishly in the yellow light of the porchlight.

"Hey David." Karen said, looking more dishivelled than she had that morning and sporting numerous bruises and blood smears which he assumed was from her hand which was tightly wrapped in a strip of shirt that looked like it had come from her companion.

Frank stood next to her, one shoulder hanging limply and there were cuts all over his face and body.

David looked from one to the other and they refused to make eye contact with him, and with a sigh he stepped aside "Come inside, I guess."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the shorter update. Still trying to map out the story so I know where everything goes and when. But I think that we are nearly to the halfway point of the story so, I'd expect 12-14 chapters, give or take?**

 **Anyways thank you so much for reading and I hope you review, it gives me tons of motivation!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	6. 6

**"Shelter" - The XX**

 _Maybe I had said, something that was wrong_  
 _Can I make it better, with the lights turned on_  
 _Maybe I had said, something that was wrong_  
 _Can I make it better, with the lights turned on_

Karen and Frank listened silently to David's scolding as Sarah fluttered around them, administering pain medication and bandages.

"Of all of the crazy stupid things that you could have done you go, alone, to an abandoned warehouse district and you didn't think that somehow that was going to end badly?" David asked Karen before turning to Frank "And you. I give you a heads up and instead of-I don't know asking me to come along or at least run surveillance on all of the surface streets-decided to go in blindly."

"I wasn't planning on alerting them to my presence, it was an accident." Karen said and hissed harshly between her teeth when Sarah poured rubbing alcohol on her hand and began putting butterfly bandages a crossed the cut.

"You should have told me what was going on." Frank said in his usual raspy voice and Karen wanted to smack him.

She'd since filled them in on everything, not seeing the point in keeping it to herself now that they were both firmly entrenched in the mess that she'd caused by digging too deeply.

"I would have had I thought you wouldn't decide to take this whole thing into your own hands and solve everything-like you always do. I need to get this story out into the public so that they can avoid this drug. Besides-" She said and pointed at Frank "You are supposed to be retired."

Frank shifted uncomfortably in his seat before replying, "Well, it's a little hard to stay in retirement when I have to constantly pull your ass out of trouble."

Karen's mouth flopped open, fury flashing in her blue eyes and at that moment Sarah stepped in, "Okay you two I'd love to watch you hash this out, really, but I've got to kids upstairs who have school in the morning. I want you both to stay here tonight and tomorrow we will figure this out-together."

Placing a hand on Karen's shoulder she gestured towards the stairs "Karen I have some pajamas that might fit you-you'll want to get out of those bloody clothes. Frank I'll bring something down in a little bit."

Karen sent one last glance at Frank, who looked anywhere but at her, before following Sarah up the stairs and into the large master bedroom. It was painted a comforting blue and the warm wood warmed her bare feet.

Sarah chattered quietly as she rifled through the large walk in closet and Karen sat on the nearby armchair numbly, the shock of the day finally hitting her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and her hands began to shake. It took until Sarah popped her head out of the closet to realize and suddenly the other woman was kneeling in front of her comforting her.

"Hey, it's going to be okay Karen." She dabbed at Karen's dirty face with her sleeve and patted her shoulder. "Let's get you out of these clothes and into the shower."

Stiffly Karen let the woman that she barely knew pull the torn, ratty, tank top over her head and gasp when she saw Karen's midriff-which to Karen's surprise was covered with angry purple bruises.

"I fell onto a garbage can." Karen explained, prodding at the bruise with her fingers.

"You could have broken ribs Karen, you should get that checked out." Sarah said as she turned on the shower.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." Karen said, almost sarcastically, as she kicked off the rest of her clothes and stepped under the hot spray.

"Come downstairs when you're finished." Sarah called over the sound of rushing water before shutting the bathroom door. At the sound of the click Karen leaned against the cool shower wall and let herself cry. Why was it that she always ended up crying alone in the shower when things got bad? Why hadn't she learned her lesson after dealing with Wilson Fisk?

Karen stood under the spray for fifteen minutes before grabbing the body wash from one of the ledges and soaped herself up, letting all of the dirt and grime wash away from her body and down the drain. Only when she was as clean as she could get did she shut off the water and step out of the shower.

Sarah had left the clothes and some towels on the counter and Karen quickly toweled off and pulled on the soft purple pajama pants and grey long sleeved shirt.

Heading back downstairs she found David and Sarah talking quietly in the kitchen.

"Where's Frank?" She asked, joining them.

"Your guess is as good as mine," David shrugged "I went downstairs to grab some things and when I came back he was gone-he left this though."

Karen took the note from him and rolled her eyes at the 'i'll be back' which was hastily scrolled a crossed the receipt, "What is he? The Terminator? He was much more hurt than I am he needs to be resting."

"And so do you. I've made up the guest bedroom for you to sleep in." Sarah gently pressed a hand into Karen's back, steering her back towards the stairs.

"You've both done so much for me, I'm sorry I've brought all of this to your doorsteps." Karen apologized as they climbed the stairs for the second time that night.

"Hush it's fine, David would have tried to help even if you hadn't asked him and I'm just here to make sure all of you crazy people keep all of your limbs." Sarah joked as she opened the door to the guest bedroom, which was yet again painted in another calming blue color.

"You just get some rest tonight so we can start on the game plan in the morning, okay? There should be some pain medication in the drawer for you if you need it."

Karen nodded and waited to shut the door before sinking down onto the bed. She wanted nothing more than to take the pain medication and crawl under the sheets. But she needed to look at her phone first.

Sarah had left her bag on the armchair and Karen dug through it, quickly finding her phone. Luckily it still had some battery life left and she was able to unlock it and begin to flick through the pictures she'd taken that day.

The crates that they were unloading were unmarked, but Karen had a gut feeling that they were full of the drug that she was trying to track down. She wished she'd gotten pictures of the drug itself-these wouldn't hold up in court-and no doubt that warehouse would be completely empty by dawn.

Karen flipped over to the pictures of the man who had stepped out of the mercedes, she'd known him from somewhere but her tired mind couldn't pinpoint where exactly.

With a sigh she crawled under the sheets and turned out the light and briefly debated taking some of those pain pills to quell the ache in her body-but drowsiness ended the debate as she dropped off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

Some time later she was pulled back into the conscious world to the sound of a body shuffling in the room that she was in.

With a jolt Karen began to sit up, but the figure stopped her "Shh Karen, it's only me."

The bedside table lamp switched back on to reveal Frank sitting in the armchair next to the bed. His bruises had darkened in the past few hours and the cut on his temple was neatly bandaged-Sarah's handiwork no doubt.

"Hey…" Karen said groggily reaching out with her palm upturned. "Where'd you go?"

Frank reached out and took it, "I went to get some more supplies and also grab your car."

"You didn't need to do that." Karen tried to rub the sleep from her eyes but failed, her body was so tired.

Frank shrugged and paused for a moment as if debating on what he would say next, "Karen I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I don't think that I always have to pull your ass out of trouble."

Karen chuckled, "You're right, sometimes I have to pull your ass out of trouble too."

"You're right about that." Frank said with a chuckle "That's what we do Karen. We pull each other out of trouble and protect each other-which I now realize was what you were trying to do earlier."

"Yeah and it worked real well didn't it?" She asked drily.

"It doesn't matter if it worked or not Karen. We're in this together now," Frank squeezed her hand, "I want you to know that I'll protect you-no matter what."

Karen smiled blearily, she could feel the exhaustion creeping in on her again.

"Get some sleep, Karen." Frank said and he moved to release her hand but she squeezed tighter.

"Stay?" She asked with a yawn.

Frank sat quietly for a moment before switching the lamp off, "Sure." He said in the darkness as sleep overcame Karen once again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi y'all! Welcome to Chapter 6 which, compared to the previous chapter, is a lot let action-worthy. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter-I do hope that you are all listening to the song that is at the beginning of each chapter. It's not a requirement but it helps set the ambiance of the chapter and it's usually a song I'm listening to while I write the chapters. Anyways I'll keep chugging a long with this story until it's finished, so I'll see you all in chapter 7!**

 **As always thank you for reading, and I hope you leave me a review, question or comment down below!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	7. 7

**"Roads" - Dummy**

 _O_ _hh, can't anybody see_  
 _We've got a war to fight_  
 _Never found our way_  
 _Regardless of what they say_

The cell phone was ringing in the man's pocket. He moved to pick it up. Her breathing came in through gasps as she tried to quell the panic that was rising in her chest.

Suddenly, the gun that had been on the table was in her hands.

The man laughed at her like she was a little girl "Do you really think I would put a loaded gun on the table where you could reach it?"

Her voice came out high and reedy-full of fear-"I don't know. Do you really think this is the first time I've shot someone?" She placed her finger on the hammer and cocked the gun back with the loudest click she'd ever heard in her life. Her heart was thudding in her ears and if she didn't do something soon she feared it would explode.

The man began to stand and she squeezed-the sound of the gunshot was almost quiet compared to the blood roaring in her ears.

The man sat back down in the chair and looked at her with shock. Before he could do anything else she pulled the trigger again. And again. And again. She fired six more times.

The man sat in the chair his chin had fallen into his chest, which had six holes that were seeping with blood.

Looking down at the gun that was still warm in her hands, she tried to breathe in and out to calm herself but the smell of death was quickly filling the room with a unique metallic tang.

A scream bubbled out of her lips as she tried to drop the gun but it seemed to be glued to her hands. An unnaturally evil laughter filled her thoughts…

Karen then woke up with a jolt, sitting up and bed as she tried to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" A young, feminine, voice asked, a young girl stood in the doorway. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and her hair was in one long braid down her back.

"Uh… yeah I'm fine." Karen replied and ran a hand through her hair before shooting what she hoped was a reassuring smile at the girl-who she assumed was one of David and Sarah's children. "Did you need something?"

"Mom said to come and wake you-breakfast is ready-I'm Leo by the way."

"Uh, thanks." Karen smiled, swinging her legs out of the bed and onto the warm hardwood floor "I'm Karen."

"Yeah, I know my mom told me." Seeing Karen's introduction as an invitation to enter the room, Leo jumped on the bed and looked over at Karen, "So… what's going on with you and Pete?"

Karen blinked with surprise at the girl's bluntness "Nothing?" She answered, averting her eyes. She couldn't believe that a thirteen year old could make her so uncomfortable so quickly.

"Uh-huh." Leo looked like she didn't believe it, but shrugged her thin shoulders, accepting Karen's answer for the moment "Anyways. Breakfast downstairs-you better hurry or Dad and Zach are going to eat it all." She hopped off the bed and left the room.

"I just love getting grilled by a thirteen year old first thing in the morning." Karen muttered to herself as she grabbed the robe that someone had left on the end of the bed for her and wrapped it around her body, securing it tightly at the waist.

Following the smell of pancakes Karen made it to the kitchen, which was full to the brim with noise. David and Sarah's two children chattered at their father and at Frank who sat quietly sipping a cup of coffee.

Karen, for a moment, thought that their conversation the night before had just been a dream. But Frank's nod and small smile told her that he had come to her the night before-and told her that he'd protect her.

"Good morning Karen, come sit and eat. I made sure that they left some for you." Sarah put a plate of pancakes and eggs down in front of her "Coffee?"

"Please." Karen said gratefully as she quietly at her food, trying to ignore the stares of the children at the table.

"So, you're that kick ass journalist aren't you?" The boy asked and the sound of his sister kicking under the table made him yelp. "What?"

"Language, Zach." Leo said as she finished her food, before turning to Karen "You are-right?"

Karen shifted uncomfortably in her seat "I wouldn't say that I'm 'kick-ass' but yes I am a journalist."

The kids looked like they wanted to ask more questions but Sarah was standing in the doorway tapping her watch "Come on kids I've got you get you off to school-David I'll be back in a half hour." She planted a quick kiss on her husband's cheek before corralling the kids out of the room.

With the children left the cacophony of noise that they generated and Karen, Frank and David sat in silence for a moment.

"You never realize how awkward it is to start a conversation until all children leave the room." David joked as he finished his coffee "So instead of small talk let's just get to work-shall we?"

Downstairs, David powered up his computers and pulled a smart board from out of seemingly nowhere. "So I took liberty of looking up the layout of the warehouses and… well Karen… I got into your cell phone's cloud last night and took those pictures and put them into an encrypted file and deleted the originals."

"A little bit of an invasion of privacy-don't you think?" Karen asked, raising her eyebrows at the hacker.

"It's so that no one else can do what I did-you wouldn't believe how easy it is to get into someone else's cloud storage these days. Besides it's not like you have any nude pictures of your-ow!" David rubbed the back of his head after Frank slapped it on his way to the computer.

"So this is the map of the warehouses we were at yesterday?" Frank asked staring up at the map.

"Uh, yeah." David replied still rubbing his head "I just need to know angles and things like that to get a better picture of what happened yesterday."

"While you guys do that, can I take another look at the pictures that I took? And use one of your computers?"

"Yeah go for it, you should be able to access it from the one on the end KP."

"KP?" Karen asked as she crossed the room.

"Yeah, well I figured you'd need a nickname. I'm Micro-the muscle over there is The Punisher-and you are… KP."

"Gee… thanks." Karen shook her head with a smile as she sat in the comfortable computer chair and opened up the file aptly named 'KP Files' and began to flip through the images with fresh eyes.

An hour passed and Karen drowned out Frank and David's voices as she clicked through the images over and over again-trying to figure out where she'd seen the man in the Mercedes' face before.

Karen turned her attention to the car instead-something about the car would have to help her figure out who that man was. She isolated the area where the license plate was and wished she'd gotten a better angle. Something about the vehicle's plate was different than your run of-the-mill license plate.

Then it hit her. She swiveled around in her chair, "I know who that man was."

* * *

Felix Hoffmann stood in the morning sunlight, watching his men take samples of the blood that had dried on the broken window pane and the fingerprints that had also been so carelessly left.

The intruders from the night before would be identified soon enough and dealt with, at least that's what he told himself as he loosened his tie. Felix had been working out of this warehouse for nearly a year-a record he had been proud of.

Now that record was in danger-by some intruders who had failed in espionage. The blood on the windowsill would be sent to the lab and be back to him at the end of the day-but that would only confirm his suspicions.

There was only one person who had been a thorn in his side for the past three months-and he'd just taken all of her information right out from under her nose.

His cell phone chimed in his pocket and he flipped it open "Hoffmann."

"I hear that there have been some issues at the warehouse." The voice on the other end said in german.

Hoffmann's free hand gripped into a fist, so hard that his nails cut into the skin of his palm, but he responded in a cool and calm voice; "Yes, but it is nothing that I cannot handle-have I let you down before?"

"No, you haven't. Don't let this be a first." There was an edge of threat in the voice "I've sent you the coordinates of the new home for the chemist. See that he gets there, in one piece."

"Understood." Hoffmann tapped the end call button and put his phone away, just in time to see his men put the blood sample into a ziploc bag.

"Get that to the lab, I want it back to me by the end of the afternoon-same with those prints." The men nodded and left. Hoffmann closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, if his suspicions were correct it seemed like he'd need to pay Karen Page a little visit.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **The story is beginning to pick up now-you will all never guess who the voice on the phone is. What will Karen & Frank's next step be? And just who is Felix Hoffmann and how long will it be until he gets Karen in his sights again? **

**You will have to read to find out!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope you leave a comment in the review section to let me know how I'm doing!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	8. 8

**"She Used to Be Mine" - Sara Bareilles**

 _Who'll be reckless just enough_  
 _Who'll get hurt but_  
 _Who learns how to toughen up when she's bruised_  
 _And gets used by a man who can't love_  
 _And then she'll get stuck and be scared_  
 _Of the life that's inside her_  
 _Growing stronger each day_  
 _'Til it finally reminds her_  
 _To fight just a little_  
 _To bring back the fire in her eyes_  
 _That's been gone but it used to be mine_

"Felix Hoffmann, he works in the German embassy under the German Ambassador, Florian Lang." Karen opened up the German embassy's website and pulled up an article that was linked on the front page-it was titled 'German Ambassador works closely with New York City Mayor to bring German culture to the big apple.'

"You wrote this?" David asked as he scrolled down to a picture of the German ambassador and the mayor.

"I did. Six months ago. I've been trying to figure out where I'd see the man from yesterday and I couldn't-because I'd never formally met him before." Karen pointed to the group of men standing in the background and sure enough the man from the photos was there. "I didn't fill in this caption-the embassy did."

"Do you think Florian Lang is this Pied Piper guy?" Frank leaned in to get a better look at the picture.

"No, Florian Lang is genuinely a great guy-and there is no reason for him to get into the drug trade anyways. The Langs are old German aristocracy-old money-he wouldn't be caught dead in the drug trade." Karen said as she isolated Hoffmann's face.

"It looks like I need to pay Felix Hoffmann a little visit." Frank muttered darkly.

"You might want to wait until I actually find him," David said from another computer "Because according to this Felix Hoffmann left the country last week to visit his sick mother in Germany and hasn't returned yet."

* * *

"I get that you think that this is too dangerous." Karen said as she unlocked her apartment, "But I need clothes and you need a shower-you stink. I don't know why you didn't take one last night…"

Karen trailed off because her apartment was in shambles, her bookshelves had been knocked over and her couch was overturned. Her carefully chosen art pieces were torn apart and the fish tank which she had purchased when she moved into the apartment had been broken and her poor fish were lying lifeless on the ground.

And in the middle of it all stood a very confused looking Foggy Nelson.

"Foggy?" Karen said as the other man hurried over to hug her tightly.

"Jesus Karen, I came over today to check on you because I hadn't heard from you for a few days and I found all of this. I thought you might be hurt… which it looks like you are." Foggy gripped Karen's face in his hands and turned it this way and that way to get a better look at her bruises before he finally noticed who was standing behind her.

"Are you kidding me Karen? Frank Castle? Did he get you into this mess? He always seems to drag you into his crap and you end up paying the price in the end." Foggy's face began to redden with and Karen had to hold up a hand to stop him and reach out behind her to place a hand on Frank's chest because she could feel his anger begin to rise inside of him.

"Actually, Foggy, this is my fault and I'd tell you to sit down for this, but clearly that isn't an option." Karen joked, gesturing to all her overturned furniture, before launching into the story of the past two months-and the past forty-eight hours.

At the end of it Foggy had to lean against one of the kitchen counters in shock-which only lasted for a moment "Damn it Karen. You are as bad as Matt was, what would have happened if you had gotten yourself killed? I would have never known what had happened to you."

"I'm sorry Foggy." Karen apologized-something that she was quickly growing tired of doing. "But I can't stay quiet about this kind of thing, you know I can't. There are people-kids-dying because someone is flooding New York City with synthetic drugs."

Foggy sighed one loud, exasperated, sigh "Fine. But next time call me first, okay? Not the convicted criminal?"

Foggy shot Frank a look from over Karen's shoulder "You hear that buddy? I'm going to be her first call next time-if you so much as lay a hand on her I'll kick your ass and I'm a certified orange belt."

Karen leaned forward and whispered "Foggy you realize that the orange belt is only the third level right?"

"I know that but does he?" Foggy whispered back.

"Probably." Karen whispered her response before turning to look at Frank, who looked extremely out of place in her trashed apartment.

"So what can I do to be of service?" Foggy asked, following her into her bedroom as she tried to find clothing that hadn't been ripped by the intruders.

"I need you to go back to your office and keep your ear to the ground… and also have some bail money ready for Frank or myself-just in case." Karen said as she tossed a blouse into one of her duffel bags.

Foggy frowned "You aren't serious right?"

"As the plague. Foggy I can't risk pulling your name into the thick of this. I've already dragged enough people into this as it is."

"Thats bullshit Karen. I told you that we need to stick together-especially now that Matt's gone." Foggy was clearly upset and the mention of Matt's name for the second time in the past ten minutes was beginning to make Karen's heart hurt again.

"Foggy." Karen stopped and turned to him and reached out to hug him which he settled gratefully into. "I need you to do this for me, please? I don't want you getting hurt and neither would Matt."

"That was a low blow." Foggy chuckled into her ear.

"Yeah, well you played the Matt card first-so will you do what I ask?" Karen took a step back to look her friend in the eyes.

Foggy sighed, "Fine. I will-but at the first sign of trouble I'm bringing all of the backup that I can find-okay?"

Karen smiled, "Thank you Foggy."

Karen followed Foggy to the door and when he passed Frank he mouthed 'i'm watching you' and put two fingers to his eyes and turned them to Frank.

"Always a pleasure Froggy." Frank said opening the front door.

"It's Fogg-" And Frank slammed the door in the other man's face, "Okay. That hurt my feelings. Karen make sure you keep me updated." The man said through the door before leaving.

Karen stood in the doorway to her bedroom with her arms crossed, "You really should be nicer to him. He might be defending us when all of this is over."

"You're right," Frank said as he fiddled with some old mail that was one the kitchen counter "But he bugs me."

"Doesn't matter." Karen turned and headed back into her bedroom, and his soft footfalls told her that he was following her.

"Did you two…?" Frank asked as she continued packing what clothes she had left.

"What? Date? Me and Foggy?" Karen asked incredulously "Please, he has a girlfriend."

"So if he didn't have a girlfriend?" Frank pushed.

"We're not having this conversation right now…" Karen zipped the duffel bag closed and couldn't help but ask "Why do you care?"

"I care about you Karen. You know that." He answered before turning and starting to leave the room "I'll be foraging in your fridge for something to eat."

"The shower is on the other side of the apartment-if you want to take a shower you are more than welcome." Karen called and he held up a hand to let her know that he'd heard her.

Karen sat alone on her bed, mulling over things that were too complicated for their current situation. For someone who had a lot of hangups about personal relationship Frank could really knock her legs out from under her with comments like that.

She usually avoided thinking about anything like that when it came to Frank-it was like touching a hot mind stove everytime she even got close.

The sound of the shower turning on shook her out of her thoughts and she continued rummaging through her closet, pulling out a fresh pair of jeans and a black sweater. Quickly changing into them she pulled on a new pair of sneakers and braided her hair back out of her face.

By the time Frank emerged from the shower in a cloud of steam, Karen had started to put her living room back in order and he wordlessly began to help her.

Another hour passed and more or less her apartment was back in order-she'd have to get new art and all of her furniture was chipped-but it finally felt like her home again.

Flopping down onto the couch Karen sighed, "If we get through this I'm done poking my nose where it doesn't belong."

Frank sat carefully next to her, close but not touching as usual "You and I both know that that isn't going to happen Karen, you can't help but speak up for those who can't do it for themselves. It's a part of who you are."

Karen nodded silently, and Frank could see she wasn't listening so he reached out and gently turned her face so that he was looking into her eyes. "You did that for me-during the trial and after that."

Karen sighed and leaned forward pressing her forehead to his. It took her back to that day in the elevator, there had been no time for that moment but somehow it had grounded her back to reality.

There was only a few centimeters between them now and no sense of urgency either. She could very easily close the distance-but as she thought about it Matt's face occupied her mind and she pulled away.

"I can't." She said, surprised at herself "Not yet."

"Me either." Frank said with a sheepish laugh. "Murdock?"

Karen nodded, "Maria?"

"Yeah." Frank sighed, "So you and Murdock were a thing? Not you and Froggy?"

"Foggy," Karen correct "But yes-well sort of. Matt was always there protecting me in more ways that I realized. But his heart never fully belonged to me-which seems to be a trend for me I must be a glutton for punishment."

"Grief never goes away. It fades at times, and then at other times it comes back to kick you in the ass." Frank leaned against the couch.

"One of these days we need to sit down and have a proper conversation. One that isn't in a hospital room or in the middle of the night at the river." Karen said with a sigh before getting up "Anyways it's getting late, are we staying here tonight?"

Frank nodded his affirmative, lost in thought.

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning-there are blankets in the closet." Karen said before heading into her room and closing the door quietly behind her and leaned against the solid wood. She normally would have offered to share the bed-but after their conversation she didn't want to get them into anymore trouble than they already were in.

Her last thoughts before she went to bed were of Matt and Maria and how grief was a funny thing.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, three chapters in one night is my new best record to be honest. I really want to make sure that this story is finished and edited before I head back to school at the end of January and I was lucky enough to have the day off, so I figured-why not! Things are... shall we say complicated?**

 **As always thank you for reading and reviewing (and I hope you are all reviewing) and I will see you in chapter 9 in the next couple of days!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


	9. 9

**"Broken" - Seether Ft. Amy Lee**

 _Cause I'm broken when I'm open_  
 _And I don't feel like I am strong enough_  
 _'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_  
 _And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

"Does everyone have their ear pieces?" Frank asked the next morning. Sarah, David and Karen all nodded and tilted their heads so the tiny ear pieces could be seen in the icy morning sun.

"Are you sure Hoffmann will be here?" Sarah asked as she dug her fingers deeper into her pockets.

Karen shook her head, "No, but this festival was the next thing on Ambassador Lang's schedule and where Lang goes Hoffmann is usually there… Sarah, David are you sure you really want to be here? It could get dangerous and I don't want you to be in any more danger than you have to be."

David opened his mouth to answer but Sarah beat him to it, "Yes. We're sure. We've sent the kids to my sisters to start the holidays, so they're safe. I want to get these drugs out of the city before anyone else's children die." The other woman said firmly, they'd filled her in on everything the night before right before Frank and Karen had headed over to Karen's apartment.

Karen's thoughts moved to earlier that morning when they'd pulled up to the Lieberman's house and an unhappy David had slid into the back seat followed by a stubborn Sarah.

Frank had shot a questioning look at the other man but David had just shrugged, "I already lost the battle in the house-I don't feel like losing another in the car."

"Where David goes, I go." Sarah crossed her arms and her eyes dared Frank or Karen to say anything and after a moment of silence Frank sighed and pulled away from the curb.

Frank's words brought Karen back to the present, "Remember to check in every five minutes or so and if there is anything suspicious I want you to get out of here as fast as possible. Remember the rendezvous at the fountain in an hour-if you have eyes on Hoffmann do not engage him let the rest of the group know and we will proceed from there." Frank looked each of his companions in the eye-lingering on Karen a little longer than the rest "Don't be a hero. Heroes get themselves killed."

Frank watched them walk away and caught Karen's hand before she could get too far, "Please be careful."

"I will," Karen smiled reassuringly "You don't have to worry about me."

* * *

Thirty minutes passed slowly and still there was no sign of Hoffmann among the throng of people who were passing through Central Park for the German culture festival. Street vendors lined the pathway, filling the area with the smell of delicious German delicacies, calling to passerbys to come and purchase their wares.

Karen made her way through the crowd, careful not to bump into anyone, and scanned the faces that passed by her. After a few moments of this Karen let out a frustrated sigh, there were too many people passing by her too quickly for her to identify one person. She needed a better vantage point.

"Everything all good?" Frank's voice crackled in her ear, apparently he'd heard her sigh.

"All good." Karen said and David and Sarah chimed in with similar responses. "I'm going to get out of the crowd and see if I can get eyes on the ambassador-something tells me that Hoffmann won't be far from him if he's here.

"Okay Be-"

"Careful. I know." Karen said cutting Frank off, "I'll check in with you guys in a few minutes."

Making her way out of the crowd of people Karen suddenly found herself on the outskirts of an outdoor theatre, the wood stage had been hastily erected. Many families sat on picnic blankets with lunch and warm drinks in order to watch the show, children ran screaming from blanket to blanket as they enjoyed the chilly day.

The sound of someone doing a microphone check drew Karen's eyes to the stage and much to her surprise next to the sound guy stood the German Ambassador.

Florian Lang was an older gentleman who dressed in tweed suits and accessorized with brightly colored ties. His beard and mustache were well trimmed and oiled and his bright blue eyes could be seen from underneath two bushy gray eyebrows. To Karen, he looked a little bit like Santa Claus or someone's really sweet grandfather who always kept candy in their coat pockets.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and little ones." The ambassador said in a thick German accent, "I am pleased to present one of Germany's oldest fairy tales-it is a tale about keeping and fulfilling promises and always having honor. My grandmother used to tell it to me when I was little and I am excited to share it with you-so without further ado-here is the tale of the Pied Piper."

Karen jerked with surprise at the title and watched open mouthed as the ambassador began to tell the story.

"Karen?" Frank's voice was insistent in her ear-Karen hadn't realized she'd even made a noise.

"I'm fine." Karen said as she watched the a man dressed as a musician dance across the stage, playing his flute. Several children dressed as rats twirled behind him in a merry line. "Sorry I'm over at the outdoor theatre and you won't believe what the play is."

"I'll head over there now, Hoffmann isn't on this side of the park." Frank said and Karen couldn't help but feel a little relieved, the play was giving her the heebie jeebies. Karen watched as the villagers betrayed the Pied Piper and the children who had been dressed as rats turned into children again and followed the Pied Piper out of the village.

"You don't really need to see the end of this, do you?" A voice said from over her shoulder and Karen turned to see who had spoken to her, but a prick in her neck made everything turn black.

* * *

Frank made his way through the crowd and made it to the open air theater just in time to see the cast bowing on stage, "Karen I'm here where are you?" He asked into the ear piece as he scanned the crowd for a blond head.

"Karen?" Frank asked again and his feet began to take him around the perimeter of the area.

"I'm afraid," An unfamiliar, accented, voice crackled through the ear piece, "That Ms. Page cannot answer at the moment as she is currently indisposed."

Frank stopped dead in his tracks, his body going cold as he answered the voice, "Hoffmann, I take it?"

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled, "It doesn't matter if it is. You'll find that we have eyes everywhere Mr. Castle-or should I say Castiglione? I get so confused with names sometimes but I am very good with faces Mr. Castle and I don't think anyone could forget that face."

Frank's fists clenched and began to shake as he listened to the voice whisper into his ear-no doubt David and Sarah were listening and making their way to the theatre.

"I'm warning you," Frank began, his voice devoid of emotion, "You are making a mistake taking Karen. I will find you and if there is one hair harmed on her head I will kill all of you."

Frank didn't listen for the voice's answer, he yanked the ear piece out of his ear and threw it as hard as he could onto the ground. His blood thudded in his ears and his hands shook as panic filled his chest.

Whirling around he kicked a nearby metal garbage can, sending it careening to the ground.

"Pete." Frank could hear David's voice but it sounded far away, so Frank ignored the other man and turned to kick the recycle bin next to the overturned garbage can.

When David grabbed his arm Frank violently shook him off, breathing heavily, "What?" He asked hoarsely.

"You're drawing the attention of the police." David quietly answered, holding his hands up in an effort to calm Frank down.

"They took Karen." Frank said simply looking over at Sarah who was standing a few feet away.

"We know." Sarah replied "But if you get arrested that is going to take up more time than we might have. We're going to get her back but we need you to control yourself for now."

Frank looked around at the people who were gathered around them, whispering to one another, more than likely they'd called police officers who were on their way.

"Let's get out of here." David said and nudged Frank into motion, they left quickly together and got into the car-this time with David behind the wheel.

"Can you trace Karen's earpiece?" Sarah asked from the backseat as they drove through the city back towards where the Lieberman's lived.

"I could-but they more than likely tossed it after that fun little conversation that they had with Frank." David said turning onto the highway. "I have a couple of ideas on how to track them but I need my computers."

"And then what?" Sarah chirped again from the backseat.

"And then," Frank spoke for the first time in twenty minutes "I go and kill the bastards."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year everyone! Apologies for the time between uploads, it seems like everyone is getting sick and I'm no different. I haven't had the energy to do more than lay in bed for the past couple of weeks and fever-brain is never a good writer's brain. Anyways, this is one of the titular chapters which will move the story forwards. It's funny because I know how I want the story to end I just have to fill in the middle parts. Expect about 5-6 more chapters if not a couple of more.**

 **Anyways thanks so much for sticking with me in the new year and I hope you are all having fantastic 2018's so far!**

 **-LittleMoonLover-**


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